Flock to Campus

VOLUME 47 I NUMBER I3 1 SEPTEMBER 6, ZOO1 < -. ” . , ,.I ! , . ., /s.r>-,::::-??::: [email protected]! INSIDE inside a heartof wires II Robson Square Everyone is welcome to NovemberOpenHouse THEUNIVERSITY OF BRITISHCOLUMBIA Record numbers flock to campus Administration acts to pacity aswe can inplace.” With the majority of incoming meet housing, course needs students entering the faculties of Artsand Science, Guppy says by Michelle Cook staff writer funding has been made available to provide more courses in Math, UBC’S LARGEST-EVER CLASS Of English and other core subjects. new students arrived on campus Preparations have included hiring this week and university officials additional teaching assistantsin or- have acted quickly to ensure their der to accommodate morestudents housingand course registration in tutorials and laboratories, and needs are met. hiring new instructors to teach ad- As of late August,the university ditional course sections. Extra sec- was expecting 5,161 new first-year tions are also being added to cours- undergraduates, 20 per cent more es starting in the second term. than the4,323 target for the 2001- Even with these arrangements, 2002 academic year. some Science students may still The spike in registration result- find themselves on course waiting edfrom several factors,among lists when classes begin, saysPaul theman increase in both the Harrison, associate dean, Student number of applications and in the Services, in the Faculty of Science. acceptance rate of early offers of The faculty has hired additional admission. instructors and teaching assist- UBC’S reputation for quality re- ants andwill be using all available BOOK MARK UBC Bookstore staffassistsome ofthe customers who will account for about25,000 sales transactions search, the introductionof new ac- classroom and lab space. during this week’s scramble for textbooks andsupplies. Deadline forthe draw to winTerm I textbooks is Sept. 15 and ademic programs, and guaranteed “When itcomes downto limited two winners will be announced Sept. 17. The last day for textbook refunds is Sept. 21 and the Bookstore has extended on-campus housingalso helped to space, ourpriority is to ensure stu- its hours until then.For details, see www.bookstore.ubc.ca. Hhry Thornson photo attract alarger number of new students get the courses theyneed in dents this year according to uni- conditions that are safe,” Harrison versity officials. says, adding that staff are continu- “UBC is anattractive place ally monitoring courseregistration where studentswant to come,” and movingwait-listed students says Neil Guppy, associate vice- into spaces that becomeavailable. president,Academic Programs. Thanks to new faculty guide- address indirect research “Now, we’redoing what we can to lines that were brought into effect guarantee them reasonable hous- this year, Science students now costs,’ federalreport urges ing and gettingas much course ca- see Flock, page 2 Committee suggests newfinding agreement is needed rect costs is constrained. In addi- tion to these costs, the reportrec- by HilaryThomsonstaff writer The Association of Universities ommends anallocation of funds to Graduates working and Colleges of Canada has called smaller institutions on a competi- THE SHORTFALL IN FUNDING indi- for the federal government to reim- tive basis to help them establish a 0 rect costs of university research burse universities for indirect re- strong research foundation. must be addressed to achieve the search costsat anominal rate of 40 The reportcriticized the Canada In B.c.,says survey J J federalgovernment’s innovation per centover and above direct costs. Research Chairs (CRC) allocation agenda, accordingto a recent par- Indirect costs include upgradesof system. It contends that theimbal- Most graduates are at theirinvestment ineducation; liamentary report. information technologyfor transfer ance in research capacity acrossthe they’re in highly skdled and high- Called A Canadian Innovation of research data between institu- country is reinforced because most work in chosenjeld paying occupations right here in Agenda for the Twenty-first Cent- tions, better supportfor ethical re- chairs are based atlarge universi- WHAT HAPPENS to B.C. university B.C.” ury. the report contains recom- views and support for library re- ties and only six per cent of chairs students after graduation - are Highlights of the recently re- mendations to advance university sources. have gone to smaller universities. they employed, in debt, or backat leased survey, which wasconduct- research capacity. Among these is According to the report, Cana- The CRC program provides fed- school? ed in1999, show that two yearsaf- a suggestion that the federal gov- da’s 92 universities accounted for erally funded research positionsto More than 5,600 B.C. graduates ter graduation, more than 95 per ernment andprovinces negotiate a almost 24 per cent of all research attract and retain leading investi- from the class of 1997 were asked cent of 1997 graduates were em- new funding agreement that takesand development activity in the gators,and allocation is largely these and other questions asof part ployed - a similar rateto that re- into account direct and indirect country in 1998. Among its major based on past competitionsfor re- the University Student Outcomes ported by Ontario university grad- research costs. competitor countries, Canada is search grants. Project, an initiative ofThe Univer- uates - and a majorityof respond- “This recommendation is very one of the few where indirectcosts The Houseof Commons’ Stand- sity Presidents’ Council(TUPC) and ents found employment within a welcome news,” says Indira Samar- of research are not covered. One ing Committee on Industry, Sci- funded by the provincial Ministry year of graduation. asekera, vice-president, Research. outcome is a reliance on the pri- ence and Technology, which pro- of Advanced Education. Almost 70 per centof all gradu- “While the new federal programs vate sector for research activity duced the report,will examine the “This survey offers good news ates surveyed reported their job to support researchhave helped to funding. distribution of the chairs whenit for students and prospective stu- was to some or a great extentrelat- advance our research ability, ad- The report also addressed the reviews the granting councils in dents,” says UBC vice-president, Ac- ed to their field of study and al- ministrative costsof research have research capacity of smaller uni- detail thisfall. ademic, Barry McBride. “B.c. -grad- most all respondents stayedin B.C. strained budgets.” versities where funding for indi- see Indirect,page 2 uates are realizing the dividends of see Work, page 2 2 I UEC REPORTS I SEPTEMBER 6, 2001 0 LETTERS In other words, the 47 faculty who by converting lounges into dorm- received funding from SSHRC would style rooms. The rooms, housing u bc reports doubtless describe themselves either three to four students each, are Flock Published twice monthly as humanists or as social scientists equipped with phone and Internet (monthly in December, May, A lesson in humanities (SSHRC= Social Sciences and Hu- Continuedfiom page I hookups and are beingprovided at June, July and August) by: needed (editor agrees) manities Research Council). have two years to completelower- a 25 per cent discount. UBC Public Affalrs Ofice It’s important for our official level requiredcourses. Harrison “We hope tomove students into 310- 6251 Cecil Green Park Road Editor: news bulletin to reflect accurately says the more flexible program re- regular dorm rooms as space be- Vancouver BC, V~TIZI. I’m writing about the article“Ban- what thefaculty are doing, andit is quirements may help to ease the comesavailable, and re-convert TeI: 604-UBC-INFO (604-822-4636) ner year forcampus research(UBC simply not accurate to lump hu- demands on course registration. the lounges to their original pur- Fax: 604-822-2684 reports, Aug. 9). manists in with scientists. The increased number of new stu- pose as soon possible,” as says Rob- Website: www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca The article mentions that 47 UBC UBC has consistently done very dents has also affected on-campus ert Frampton, assistant director, UBC Reports welcomes the sub- “scientists” received funding from well on the Macleanb ranking, for housing but the university has hon- Residence Administration. mission of letters and optnion SSHRC example, in part because its human- oured its long-standing policy of ac- in this year‘s competition. I pieces. Opinions and advertistng currently hold a SSHRC grant, and ists and social scientists have done commodating any scholarship win- published in u6c Reports do not while I’d like to think (because I’m so well in SSHRC competitions. nersand first-year students from necessarlly reflect oficlal uni- UBC I a specialist in medieval Latin, has particular and specific outsidethe Lower Mainland who versity pol~cy. Materialmay be I amongother things) that youwere expertise in humanities research, have applied to live on-campus. reprinted in whole orIn part with I using “scientist” in terms of its root and you do us a disservice to dis- To house the students eligible Indirect appropriate credit toUBC Reports. I guise that expertise through errorsfor residence rooms, UBC Housing Continuedj?ompage I meaning(scientia is Latin for LETTERS POLICY Thecommittee also recom- knowledge, so a scientist is just such as this one. andConferences has made ar- Letters must be signed and someone who knows or finds out Sian Echard rangements for up to

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